2018-05-24T17:40:48ZA practical theological study of multicultural youth work in Pretoria, South Africahttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/23815
A practical theological study of multicultural youth work in Pretoria, South Africa
Strecker, Alexander
Multicultural youth ministry is increasingly becoming an important reality concerning ministering to adolescents within a Christian community. A holistic focus was used to analyse the practices concerning ministering to diverse adolescents within a local youth ministry context. The study was exploratory in nature and made use of a qualitative case study approach using semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews via Skype. The data was analysed within a descriptive-interpretive framework using content analysis. Findings mainly related to five themes that emerged during the research, namely: multicultural understanding, purposeful program, relationship centeredness, transforming spirituality, and the youth leader’s realm. The data also reflected underlining contextual ministry realities namely, authenticity, inclusiveness, intentionality and limited diversity. This research provides meaningful insight within the practical theological realm as the current South African literature regarding multicultural youth ministry is limited. Similarly, this study is focused on the theological conversation within a culturally diverse youth ministry context.
2018-02-01T00:00:00ZAn analysis of the abuse of power by leaders in Christian organisations: cultural comparisons from Canada, Germany and South Africahttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/23813
An analysis of the abuse of power by leaders in Christian organisations: cultural comparisons from Canada, Germany and South Africa
Winter, Marian Jean
The purpose of this dissertation is to determine what constitutes the abuse of power by leaders in Christian organisations and how it can be addressed, especially in a multicultural context. The theoretical and empirical research defines the abuse of power, especially in Christian organisations, and outlines the results. It determines the role that culture plays in the abuse of power and presents strategies that can be used effectively to prevent or deal with the abuse of power in different cultural contexts in Christian organisations. The cultures considered in the empirical research are English-speaking Canadians, Germans (from what was formerly West Germany), and white South Africans.
In this research, the abuse of power, the aspects that define abusive leaders and the victims, and the effects of the abuse of power on the leaders, victims and the organisations are discussed. The literature and the responses from the research participants clearly confirm the existence of abusive leadership in Christian organisations. The characteristics that constitute an ethical Christian leader are defined and underlined by the responses from the respondents in this research: spiritual transformation, love, servant leadership, accountability, trust and forgiveness. Addressing the abuse of power in Christian organisations, specifically in a multicultural context is challenging. Leaders must be prepared to learn about and understand the cultures represented in the team. They also have a responsibility to challenge their team members to reflect on their cultural characteristics, to have healthy discussions and to form an organisational third culture that profits from the potential that each team member can contribute.
2017-11-01T00:00:00ZEnvironmental ethics challenges in the case of Congo basic deforestation: a theological perspectivehttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/23677
Environmental ethics challenges in the case of Congo basic deforestation: a theological perspective
Buwani, Didier Ngangani
Environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity are of concern worldwide. Several conflicts on environmental resources management are raised between governments, multinational companies and the local population. Particularly in developing countries, natural resources management is one of the crises where most experiment takes place. Lack of natural resources management can cause war and contribute to poverty. As is observed in the indigenous
population of the Congo Basin. This research project aims to investigate the causes of
deforestation in the Congo Basin and the environmental ethics challenges, when the researcher
focuses on the policies related to the forest management in the region. A consideration of the ethical aspects is motivated by the fact that indigenous communities depend directly on the forests’ services and resources, and therefore are the most affected by the impact of deforestation. To establish an ethics on the participative approach on forest management could strengthen collaboration between local communities, multinational companies and government.
2017-06-01T00:00:00ZLewenskontekstuele hermeneutiek-met verwysing na Sewendedag-Adventistehttp://hdl.handle.net/10500/23382
Lewenskontekstuele hermeneutiek-met verwysing na Sewendedag-Adventiste
Horn, Ruan
In die tesis word die modernistiese en laat/postmodernistiese reduksionistiese benaderings in die Adventiste wêreld nie bloot afgewys nie, nie net omdat dit deel van ons ervaring is nie maar ook omdat die reduksies wat in die moderne en laat/postmoderne tyd ontstaan het in ŉ gemodifieërde sin die boustene is van ŉ hermeneutiese benadering wat poog om holisties en in multiverse sin oorvleuelend te werk met die antieke, moderne en laat/post moderne benaderinge.
In ŉ hermeneutiek wat holisties oorvleuelend en multivers integrerend aan die gang is, vorm die vierledige opset van die handelinge en beweginge van God, die menslike bewustelike self, medemens(e) as die ander mens en die natuurlike kosmiese wêreld ŉ misterie van vierledig aktiewe teenwoordighede wat nie-vermengd saambestaan maar tog ontsettend naby aan mekaar is as die voortgaande ervaringskaart van elke konteks en situasie.
Juis die uitmekaar ruk van die vierledige aktiewe teenwoordighede inonservaringswêrelde vorm die agtergrond vir moderne teologisme met God alleen speler van die spel, psigologisme met die bewustelike menslike self as die kaptein van sy siel en die meester van sy lot, humanisme waarin die mensheid as kollektiewe menswees die enigste roerder van die menslike brousel in die geskiedenis is en naturalisme waarin die natuurlik kosmiese omgewing die naturaliserende ordeningsagent van die kosmiese chaos is.
Wat radikaal deur ŉ holisties oorvleuelende en multiverse integrerende aanpak sny, is dat die vierledige teenwoordighede gedra word asook ingebou is in wat in die Bybels-historiese tydslyn vorendag kom as die vier prominente dade van God se voortgaande skepping, versoening in Jesus Christus, alomvattende vernuwing deur die Gees en voleindende volmaking tot in die aanbreek van die nuwe hemel en die nuwe aarde.
Binne die omraming van ŉ hermeneutiek wat holisties oorvleuelend en multiversintegrerend werk, word algemene moderne en postmoderne benaderinge oor tekse, teorieë, menslike handelinge en die
natuurlike kosmiese gebeurtenisse beskryf. Terwyl die moderniteit – en ook die postmoderniteit –
uitgaan van die hoofsaaklik opponerende verskille tussen sinmakende beskouinge word hier gepoog om
eers die oorvleuelingsareas refleksief te betrek en daarna aandag gee aan die verskille. Die drie
breë benaderinge wat hoofsaaklik beskryf word is die van fundamentalistiese spieëling, liberale interpretasie en die konsinlike onderhandeling van tekse, teorieë, menslike handelinge en natuurlik kosmiese gebeure.Juis teen hierdie agtergrond word diverse SDA omgangspatrone met die Bybel,
ervaringe in die kerklike arena en alledaagse ervaringe in ŉ draaikolk van multivers oorvleuelende en differensiërende refleksiwiteit beskryf.; In the thesis Adventist approaches making use of modernist and late/postmodernistic reductionist
philosophies are not rejected out of hand. Not only are the reductions which emerged in the modern
and late/modern era part of our experience but they are in a modified sense the building blocks of
a hermeneutical approach in which an attempt is made to work in an overlapping holistic and
multiverse way with approaches of the ancient world, modernity and late/post modernity.
In a hermeneutics that operate holistically with overlaps and in a multiverse integrative sense,
the quadruple setting of actions and movements of God, the conscious human self, neighbour(s) as
the other human and the natural cosmic world forms a mystery of foursome active presences that do
not exist together in a mixed sense but are very close to each
other as the continuous experiential map of every context and situation.
The dislocation of the foursome active presences in our experiential worlds forms the backdrop of
modern theologism in which God is the sole player in the game, psychologism with the conscious
human self as the captain of his or her soul, humanism in which
humanity as the collectiveness of being human is the only stirrer of the human concoction in
history and naturalism in which the natural cosmic environment is the only naturalistic agency that
arranges the cosmic chaos.
Cutting radically through the holistic overlapping and multiverse integrative approach is that the
foursome presences are carried and built into what come to the fore in the biblical historical
timeline as the four grand acts of God of continuous creation, reconciliation in Jesus Christ, all
embracing renewal through the Holy Spirit and fulfilling fulfilment as in the dawn of the new
heaven and the new earth.
Within the embrace of a hermeneutics which works with overlaps in a holistically and integrating in
a multiverse sense general modernist and late/post modern approaches regarding texts, theories,
human doings and natural cosmic events are described. While modernity – and late/post modernity -
depart from mainly opposing differences between sense making views the attempt is made here firstly
to engage oneself in a reflexive sense with the areas of overlapping and only then to pay attention
the differences. The three broad approaches mainly described are that of fundamentalist mirroring,
liberal interpretation and consensual negotiation of texts, theories, human doings and natural
cosmic events. It is against this background that diverse SDA engagement patterns with the Bible,
experiences in the arena of the church and everyday experiences is described in a vortex of
holistic overlapping and multiverse integrative reflexivity.
Summaries in English and Afrikaans
2015-11-01T00:00:00Z